1966 La Mission Haut Brion
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Tasting notes
The 1966 La Mission Haut-Brion is a vintage I have tasted many times, this last example courtesy of a half-bottle at the Four Seasons in London. It has a classic mature Graves nose of dusty black fruit, cedar and cigar humidor, plus traits of fireside hearth. The palate is well balanced with quite firm tannins and plenty of cedar-infused black fruit. A little drier than other vintages, but not austere, delivering good weight on the finish. Bottles invariably suggest that this is beginning to reach the end of its drinking plateau, so – large formats aside – broach this sooner rather than later.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Bottle brought by Stephen Browett of Farr Vintners. ‘Harvets slip label’, I wrote. Was this some Scandinavian importer? No, just the name of Averys' arch-rivals Harveys mis-typed. This had that greenness on the nose that I associate with aggressively whole-bunch red burgundy, and a bit of volatile acidity to boot. Not a good bottle. (JR)
Pale ruby. Was there some rot here? Slightly metallic nose. Dry palate – austere, and dried out. Opened out in the glass – a bit more rose petal flavour in the glass as it opened out. Gothic austerity according to Oz. Keep it in the mouth for a minute. (JR)
About the producer
Ch. la Mission Haut-Brion – sister estate of Ch. Haut-Brion and part of the Clarence Dillon stable – is one of the greatest estates in all of Bordeaux. Based in Pessac-Léognan but not officially classified, it produces outstanding red and white wines.